


Prince’s Diaries

by sweetestpiglet



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: F/M, HEA Guaranteed, Journaling, Princess Diaries AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-06
Updated: 2019-08-24
Packaged: 2020-08-10 06:34:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20130922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweetestpiglet/pseuds/sweetestpiglet
Summary: “Me? A- a prince?... Shut up.”The queen- Grandmother?- dropped her teacup onto the saucer.  “I beg your pardon?”The butler guy in the gold vest leaned forward.  “Your majesty, my studies indicate that American youth culture does not use ‘shut up’ to indicate ‘be quiet’ but rather astonishment or disbelief.  The origin of this usage appears to be-““Shut up, Threepio,” Mom said.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Well. @Reylo_Prompts on twitter tweeted the following: “Curious Cat Prompt: “Princess Diaries AU. Except Ben is Mia; raised by Han in a garage in San Francisco.””
> 
> I love every single thing Meg Cabot (notable Star Wars Stan) has ever written, “The Princess Diaries” top among them, so this prompt was made for me. Based mostly on the book, some bits from the movie, and like the Spice World trailer, very little from the summary will be in the fic. Enjoy!

November 19, 201x

7:30am  
The Corellian Apartments, home

Dad says Uncle Luke is coming to Manhattan for a meeting at the UN, and that we’ve got to do dinner with him tonight. I haven’t seen him since I was 8. We talked about dinosaurs, briefly, and he hasn’t stopped sending me dinosaur-related gifts for holidays and birthdays since. I’m 17, as of today. The least he could do is send cash.

Mom at least sends me useful stuff. This journal, for example. “When I was your age, it seemed like no one wanted to listen to me- not being able to say what I needed was like torture. A journal would have let me get everything out, even if I was the only person who saw it.”

She also included a check for $500; memo: “for buying something your father wouldn’t understand.” Even 4,000 miles away, seen only once a year, she gets me.

A new gaming chair is already on its way.

Now, Poe (and his little sister Rey) will be able to be comfortable when they come over after school. I always feel bad sitting in my current chair when they’re here, so normally Poe and I just sit on the floor on cushions and try to make Rey take the chair since she doesn’t actually play. Now he and I can sit in the chairs (way better for my back- growth spurts are not fun!) and Rey can sprawl out on the loveseat Uncle Chewie brought me last week.

Well, Dad’s hollering at me that Poe just buzzed up- it’s sleeting out and I don’t want to make them wait; Chandrila Secondary School’s uniform for girls doesn’t allow them to wear pants in winter (we’re working on a petition for that- the dress code needs to be updated, it’s the 21st Century!) and Rey is probably frozen.

Mom was right. This journal is really making me feel like someone is listening to me.


	2. Chapter 2

November 19, 201x

12:30pm  
Chandrila Secondary School, lunch

My birthday is only half over, and the highs and lows so far are kind of insane.

Low: Armitage Hux was harassing Rey.  
High: I got to hold Armitage Hux while Poe punched him.

Low: Rey yelled at me (and Poe) for being Neanderthals.  
High: Rey kind of held my hand while she was checking my knuckles for broken skin? Which was really sweet, even though I didn’t get in any punches (Poe is too short to hold Hux back).

Poe and I were sent to Headmaster Windu’s office. When his secretary called him to tell him we were here, we heard him tell her to “send those dumb motherfuckers to Yoda, I don’t want to look at their faces.” He didn’t say it to our faces, but honestly, his lack of fucks is one of the best things about this school.

Mr. Yoda is another awesome thing about this school. He’s the weirdest guidance counselor in existence, but he still manages to get us accepted into our first-choice colleges. His recommendation letters are apparently things of beauty.

Anyway, Mr. Yoda says that we should let Rey handle her own life and only intervene when she asks us to. (No offense, Mr. Yoda, but have you even met Rey? She doesn’t ask anyone for anything, even after being with the Damerons for seven years.)

He also says we should focus on things we’re grateful for, and to remember that others might not have things to be grateful for. We should be compassionate towards those people, he says.

(I know he means Hux, but that asshole needs a personality replacement ASAP, and until it’s ready, Poe and I are just going to have to keep him in check.)

Since I already started journaling, I figure I can add in the gratitude thing here. Today, I’m grateful that Dad and Uncle Chewie would let me tag along to Fett’s Boxing Gym when I was younger, so I could learn the proper way to throw a punch and remind Poe today so he didn’t break his thumb.

November 19, 201x

3:30pm  
The Corellian Apartments, home

Rey agrees with Mr. Yoda that Poe and I should let her handle her own business. “I’m not a baby, Ben,” she said in Kendo, while we were waiting to spar. “I hold my own against you just fine, and I can handle a little teasing from Hux.”

Okay, so she isn’t wrong about that. But she shouldn’t HAVE to put up with it. Rey had a really hard life before the Damerons adopted her when she was 8. She wouldn’t tell them when she was hungry, or if she had a headache, or if she needed something. It took forever before she would ask Ellie (my nanny when I was little) for a glass of juice on visits.

Poe and I figured it out pretty quick, and just started bringing things to her. Capri Suns, sandwiches, whatever.

Poe had always wanted a little sister, and treated her like a puppy (that sounds bad.) So she came everywhere with him, and because we were best friends, with US. Soccer team? Check. Academic decathalon? Check. Boy Scouts? That lasted three meetings until they said she couldn’t come anymore.

Suffice to say, after an explanation and a generous yearly donation to underserved groups in the 5 Boroughs, Poe and I are the only boy Girl Scouts on the Upper East Side.

Anyway, it’s mine and Poe’s job to look after her. Poe because he’s her brother, and mine because I’m-

Well, I’m her friend. No matter what happens, I’m here for her. However she needs.

Poe just came out of my room. “What is taking so long with the Pizza Rolls? I can smell them but it’s been 20 minutes and-“ bzzzzzzzzzz

(I put them in the oven- they taste better crispy.)

(Getting to write in my journal while they cook was a bonus.)

November 19, 201x

6:30pm  
The Corellian Apartments, home

Dad came home from work and tried to kick everyone out. Nicely, of course- he loves my friends. He and Mrs Shara (Poe and Rey’s mom) met when they were both pilots for Doctors Without Borders. (That’s how Dad met Mom, too. She was a regular volunteer, not a pilot.)

After they retired from service, they lost touch, but ran into each other at a bodega getting diapers. With sons the same age, and me having a live-in nanny (thanks, Mom!), it was really easy to convince Mrs Shara and Mr Kes that Poe should just stay with me during the day while the Damerons were working.

It could have super-backfired, but despite how wildly different we are, Poe and I get along great. He’s my best friend, and I’m really grateful for him, most of the time.

I say that because when he heard that Dad and I were going to Butter with Uncle Luke, he said “Oh, wow! Rey, isn’t that the place you were talking about wanting to go to the other day?”

And when Dad heard that, he insisted that she come along. “The table seats 4, it’ll be great! You and Ben can have fun while Luke and I reminisce about the good old days.” (Luke volunteered with Mom at MSF.)

And if Rey actually vocalized that she wanted to try someplace, I’m not going to do anything to set back that progress. Even if my palms are itchy and my knee keeps twitching and I’m really sweaty for some reason.

So now Dad and I are in our suits (I had to force the jacket, he kept insisting that just a waistcoat would be fine; no father of mine is going to Iron Chef Alex Guarnaschelli’s restaurant looking like a ranch hand, or some kind of nerf herder.) waiting for Rey to come back from her apartment. I tried to get her to let us pick her up (Uncle Chewie is driving), but she just laughed and said that she didn’t know when she’d be finished getting ready.

Oh, that’s the buzzer. You know, I haven’t seen Rey dressed up since her primary school graduation. I wonder if her fancy look has advanced beyond sequins and tutus...

November 19, 201x

6:50pm  
The Falcon, backseat, en route to Butter

Rey’s in the front seat pushing buttons and asking about the engine, and Dad’s texting Mom, so I have exactly 2 minutes to write this down.

I thought Rey was really pretty when she was standing over me in Kendo, having kicked my ass- hair half-out of the bun, sweaty, red face.

But Rey with her hair curled, in a pretty dress, wearing makeup?

I’m fucked.

Oh, correction, she was also wearing lipgloss.

I’m super-fucked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m very pleased with how this is going, and hope you all are too! Thank you for your kind words on my first foray in creating in the Reylo fandom.


	3. Chapter 3

November 19, 201x

8:30pm  
Butter, in the sitting room outside the bathrooms

Dinner is going okay. Uncle Luke seemed really surprised that we’d brought Rey with us, and concerned that the restaurant wouldn’t honor our reservation with the added person. Does he not go out to eat in Alderaan? Or are restaurants just different in Europe? Whichever it was, reservation changes always easily handled. Dad smiled at the hostess and slipped her a fifty, and we were seated immediately.

(It’s kind of gross how much women respond to Dad. Like, he’s in his fifties and he’s married- he wears the wedding band and everything! I complained about it to Poe and Rey once, and Rey just laughed. “It’s because he’s so outrageous with his flirting, that you know he isn’t serious. The attention is flattering, you know you’d never try it anyway, but you feel better about yourself and want to thank him for it.”)

Anyway, Luke asked all the basic distant relative questions. How is school going? (I’m on track for dean’s list again.) Do I play any sports? (I practice Kendo at school, and Poe, Rey, and I run in Central Park most days after school.) Any extracurriculars? (Headmaster Windu turned down our petition to start a school-sponsored multimedia review blog. “If you want someone to pay for you to watch movies and play video games, ask your parents, not me. Your tuition is going towards the school trip to DC in January, not a pinball machine. Don’t bug me about this again.” So, yeah, no extracurriculars.)

Rey made a good impression on him, I think. She asked how his flight was, and if he was expecting a full house for his UN speech. I guess there’s some stuff going down with the country next to Alderaan? Not war or anything, but something to do with who is next in line for the throne. Uncle Luke was pretty tight lipped about it, but I guess his argument to the UN is going to be about respecting the succession decisions of sovereign rulers, even if noble factions in Naboo disagree?

Rey was nodding along like she understood. She’s in AP World History, so she has a better handle on this. Even if Mom is a diplomat in Alderaan, politics aren’t really my cup of Dew.

I probably get that from Dad. He isn’t a fan of politics, either. He got quieter the more Uncle Luke talked about Naboo- I guess he remembers it from when he lived in Alderaan with Mom, and isn’t happy it’s going through some shit.

Oh, crap- the hostess says they’re looking for me.

November 19, 201x

11:00pm  
The Corellian Apartments, home

Dinner took a downward turn after I went back to the table. Luke was apparently grilling Rey about her past, and she wasn’t thrilled with the idea of trotting out her life story to a near stranger. Dad kept trying to talk over Luke, and was getting more aggressive as Luke pressed Rey.

When I got back, Luke thankfully got distracted, and started in on ME. “You need to visit Alderaan,” he said. “It’s important that you know where your family comes from.”

Like, dude, I know where they come from. Dad’s parents were from Brooklyn; Grandma Solo worked as a cleaner, and Grandpa Solo worked at a shipyard. Grandpere Bail was a diplomat in Alderaan, and Grandmere Breha managed their estates and acted as his hostess. Dad tells me about them all the time.

Just because Mom and Dad live apart, doesn’t mean I’m clueless. Alderaan is super-important to Mom, and she’s super-important to it. But there are also people who are radically opposed to her, and they might try to hurt her by hurting Dad or me, so we live in America and keep a low profile. “I never had a normal childhood, Benny-bijou; as much as I miss you, I know you’re happier in New York than you would be in Alderaan. Your father knows what childhood should be- he makes sure you have one.”

I guess she’s right. If I was in Alderaan, I wouldn’t have Poe and Rey around. I’d probably be at boarding school, and wouldn’t be taking Kendo, and all the tv channels are in French or Dutch, so I’d bankrupt us trying to stream all the good American tv shows.

The no-Poe and Rey thing would suck the most, I think.

Oh! Before Rey got out of the car when we dropped her off, she gave me a small box and told me to open it at home. Let’s see what was in it...

November 20, 201x

2:25am  
The Corellian Apartments, home

It’s a woven leather bracelet, with my name and the Alderaan national motto “Koester Vrede” (“Cherish Peace”) engraved on the inside.

I told her about that motto, and how much it means to me, two years ago. I can’t believe she remembers it.

WHY does she remember it?

Crap, what am I going to get her for Christmas?


	4. Chapter 4

****November 20, 201x

7:15am

The Corellian Apartments, home

Dad woke me up early today. “Your mom wants to talk to you,” he said through my door. “I’ve got coffee and cereal out for you, so you have some time to boot your brain. She’s not sick, it’s nothing bad.”

Mom usually is in meetings all through the day, so we mostly only ever talk in my afternoon- it’s a 6 or 7 hour time difference. Talking at her lunchtime is practically unheard of, so I’m glad Dad nipped my anxiety before it could start.

Mom: Benny-bijou! You sound so different in the morning, so chipper!

Me: Yeah, Kendo or running gets me a little worn out in the afternoon.

Mom: Of course. And 7 hours straight of schooling cannot help. If they just let you go year-round, they could cut the days by 20%.

Me: Yeah, I showed Headmaster Windu the studies, but he said- well, he said he didn’t care.

Mom: I’m sure he doesn’t. Well, c'est la vie. Anyway, bijou, I wanted to let you know that I will be coming to New York next week!

Me: Really? That’s awesome! But you just came in July for your annual visit on Dad’s birthday. Is everything okay?

Mom: Yes and no. Uncle Luke told you that there are some stirrings in Naboo?

Me: Yeah, the queen wants to name someone to succeed her and there are people who don’t want to let her?

Mom: Basically, but it gets weirder. The queen is going to be addressing the UN, and has asked me to accompany her as both an ally and moral support.

Me: Cool! Do you think I could meet her? And maybe Rey and Poe, too? The extra credit potential would be insane.

Mom: Absolutely, mon ange. We’ll do a small family lunch at the Plaza, and then your friends can come on another day, okay?

Me: Totally.

Mom: Okay, I’ll let you go now, I’m sure your friends will be there soon. I love you, bebe. See you soon!

Me: Love you too, Maman.

So, surprise visit from Mom, yay! Possible overlap with Uncle Luke, tentative nay? For twins, they have very different vibes, and Dad is already tense about Luke’s visit.

Oh, man, Rey will finally get to meet Mom in person. She’s been at summer camp every time Mom’s visited the city, and Mrs Shara broke her leg right before we were all supposed to do Aspen together last year, so the Damerons stayed home.

Things I’m grateful for: my mom meeting one of my best friends.

Note to self: turn off data and WiFi to Mom’s cell when she meets Rey, so she can’t access her vast treasury of baby pictures of me. Mom’s lousy with technology, she’ll just swear at her phone and make the concierge fix it later.

November 20, 201x

12:15pm

Chandrila Secondary School, lunch

Poe was really excited to hear that Mom was visiting again. It’s weird when your best friend has a crush on your mom, but at least I know it’s 90% because he wants to be exactly like my dad when he grows up. The other 10%, I try to tune out.

Rey was quiet, but she seemed to warm up to the idea. She smiled when she saw me wearing her bracelet. It’s not technically permitted by dress code for boys to wear jewelry beyond a single ring, but my blazer sleeve covers it when I hold my arms down, and Poe and I can monologue about toxic masculinity and double standards against femininity for 6 minutes straight (Rey timed us), so I’m more likely to get an eye roll than a demerit if a teacher notices.

Anyway, Hux is being more of a prick than usual, so teachers are way more on alert for him than the most thoughtful gift I have ever received. He’s channeling Draco Malfoy: “My faaaather is coming to town to represent his clients at the UN. My faaaather will be ensuring this school meets his standards, or he will no longer recommend it to other eligible _ partis _. My faaaaaather has a huge stick up his arse, just like me.”

Man. If Hux’s Dad is like him, I don’t know which of them I feel worse for.

November 22, 201x

5:00pm

The Corellian Apartments, home

Girls are exhausting. They may be pretty, and soft, and smell nice, but I’m more worn out now than I am after a two-hour sparring session.

Rey asked me during our run what the dress code at the Plaza. “Nice,” I told her.

She just stared at me. “That’s not a dress code, Benjamin.” (Only she said it like my mom does, “Ben-ya-meen.” She’s in AP French, the only sophomore this year.) “Fine. Do you eat in the food hall, the Palm Court, where?”

I shrugged. “We always just have lunch in the Rose Club. It’s nice and quiet.”

Rey stared at me some more. “The Rose Club is closed for lunch. How do you eat there?”

“Alderaan keeps a bunch of suites on reserve for when any residents are going to Manhattan. The Plaza always does nice things for whoever is visiting,” I told her. “Mom never has quiet sit-down meals at home, so she likes them when she’s with her family.”

That didn’t help. I could tell, because Rey started chewing on her lip. “But I talk all the time, especially when I’m nervous. She’ll hate that I chatter, and I’ll be able to tell, and then I won't be able to shut up. She’ll hate me, I don’t want your mother to hate me.”

Crap, this was a spiral. “My mom already thinks you’re awesome,” I assured her. “She loves your parents and Poe, and she laughs whenever I tell her about you kicking my ass at Kendo, and-“

That made it worse. “You told your mom I kick your ass?!?!” She literally stopped running to yell at me. “All she’s going to see is the girl who beats up her son!”

“First off, you don’t beat me up, you sweep me off my feet.” (That sounded like it could go two ways, so I powered through and hoped she didn’t notice.) “And my mom just says ‘Sounds like my kind of girl’ every time she hears it, so she’s actually impressed. She’s your height, and she says she couldn’t have taken me down at our age.”

That did the trick. “Really? She’s not just saying it?”

“Yeah, her parents made her learn target shooting- that’s what rich people learned instead of practical self-defense. She shot the hat off a guy who was harassing her, and turned the gun on Dad when he started applauding.”

Rey started giggling. Yes, turned this conversation around. “Is that really how they met? Your dad always just said they met in the Frontieres.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty cool. Mom was raised to be a perfect lady, and she fell in love with a total scoundrel. Very fairy tale, you know?”

We started running again, and Rey didn’t seem to be freaking out anymore, but I’m not holding my breath that this is the last time I’ll see her nervous before lunch on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. She’s a preparer. I wish I could tell her that who she is, is more than prepared to take on Leia Organa. I mean, I could. I just wish she’d believe me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One time at a book signing, Meg Cabot said that her favorite books and movies featured princess, kidnappings, or aliens. Her face when I pointed out that Leia was a princess who was kidnapped by aliens warms my heart to this day.


End file.
